Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Burkina and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1978.
I was there at the first Visage show in London.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1966 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Jeff Mills to the rap kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Gang Green. All the underground hits.
All ABC tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Richard Hell and the Voidoids record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a John Cale record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Star Department,
The Dead C,
Audionom,
Minor Threat,
UT,
Talk Talk,
Radiopuhelimet,
The Leaves,
Nirvana,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Ohio Players,
Black Bananas,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Faraquet,
Bizarre Inc.,
Japan,
Thee Headcoats,
Nik Kershaw,
The Moleskins,
Silicon Teens,
The Five Americans,
KRS-One,
Marshall Jefferson,
Malaria!,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Joey Negro,
Fela Kuti,
Quantec,
The Monochrome Set,
Drive Like Jehu,
Soul Sonic Force,
Cameo,
Letta Mbulu,
Spoonie Gee,
Bobby Womack,
Angry Samoans,
Public Image Ltd.,
Gregory Isaacs,
Camberwell Now,
The Golliwogs,
Nils Olav,
Los Fastidios,
Cymande,
Nico,
Barbara Tucker,
Be Bop Deluxe,
The Doobie Brothers,
New Order,
The Kinks,
The Standells,
Lebanon Hanover,
Reagan Youth,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Hashim,
The Detroit Cobras,
Howard Jones,
Leonard Cohen,
John Cale,
Das Ding,
LL Cool J,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Knickerbockers,
DJ Sneak, DJ Sneak, DJ Sneak, DJ Sneak.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.